Sunday, April 19, 2015

And it's here. Final editing and
mastering has been finished and the first form of digital distribution
has started on BandCamp. Be among the firsts to grab 'Symphonic Tales of
the Silmarilli'

Months of work has now come to a milestone. While the story is not yet over, as this is the first cycle of the Symphonic Tales, but this amassed material was shouting for release, before venturing onwards to the stories of the newly coming races of Arda, the First Born and the others to follow them. While that's not in my plans to start it immediately after this release, it's on the road map.https://palzoltanilles.bandcamp.com/album/symphonic-tales-of-the-silmarilli
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The composition is mixing a few characteristic themes...after starting out with an intense, quite arrhythmic part it goes into a strong choral part introduced with fine staccato clarinet runs and a heavy marcato strings section. It depicts the fearless Vala archangel's might and furious hunting powers that swept through the forests of Arda even in the most menacing times when the Shadow of Morgoth was creeping over. After a small bridging part comes the more heroic, positively uplifting part culminating in a quick arpeggio of violin runs to give the over the edge burst, and depicting the majestic nature of the divine being. To accentuate the main melody, celesta is hitting up the beats of the brass melody, and a quick marcato of the string ensemble is following all through in the background. The main theme is also repeated by a choral part. After all this, a variation of the first powerful choral part is heightening the tension before the brass melodic uplifting line is returning with grace to win over, and thus the piece ends.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

At last the seventh movement of the Symphonic Tales of the Silmarillion cycle is ready! Portraying Aulë, creator of the land masses of Arda, father of the Dwarves. He was the divine master of crafts, smithing many things, among them the Chains of Melkor. Link

"As Aulë is a smith, he is the Vala most similar in thought and powers to Melkor,
in that they each gloried in the fashioning of artful and original
things. Both also came to create beings of their own. But while Aulë
strove to be true to the original intent of the Music of the Ainur, and
submitted all that he did to the will of Ilúvatar, Melkor wished to
control and subvert all things, and was jealous of the creations of
others so that he would try to twist or destroy all that they made.
There was long strife between Aulë and Melkor both before and after the
creation of Arda. Aulë, however, traditionally opposed attempts to fight
Melkor, for fear of the damage that would be wrought to Arda.
When the Elves came to Valinor, the Ñoldor became the students of Aulë. Fëanor
was his greatest pupil, and from him learned to make gems through
craftsmanship that is now forgotten. This would eventually lead to the Silmarils, the greatest creation of handiwork within Arda. On the Flight of the Noldor, the Noldor who returned to Valinor under Finarfin named themselves the Aulendur,
Followers of Aulë. Despite his lordly skill, Aulë is humble and
compassionate, and indeed the Dwarves survived only because Aulë
submitted them to the will of Ilúvatar. His spouse is Yavanna, with whom he dwells in central Valinor." -- http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Aul%C3%AB

The arrangement is heavily relying on choral parts, especially accented on the bass section of the choir, representing the dwarven folk who He created. It consists of two main characteristic parts: first one is depicting the more serious, epic nature of this divine figure. At start the choirs are going light accompanied by some wind and stringed instruments playing piano, then switching to a higher gear with the epic Godzilla hits and some quick string runs and brass progressions. The second part is giving a cheerful salutation to the archangel with quickly evolving melody in the forte part and slower choral parts, both in a graceful, light and positive context. Hope you'll enjoy it!

Saturday, February 28, 2015

The fourth piece in the series is at last ready! 'Manwë, King Of The Valar'

The composition is parted into 3 important units. Starts out with a majestic minor scale chord progression and idea using choir and french horns as the main means for the melody. The strings are taking the chords on its back as it happens all through the piece. This part symbolizes the high ranked archangel's majestic nature. The music suddenly rolls into an agitated, action packed second part where the heavy staccato of the full strings ensemble is elevated by heavy brass melodies. Also a quickly rolling piccolo and solo violin staccato part is spicing up the inertia. After this part runs out, we get to the third one, the major scale theme of the Vala, where the ideas and chords is channeling the wise and positive nature of this archangel. It's rhythmical flow is helped by a synchronized, march like pattern of snare and different divisions of the orchestra. After this we get back to a repetition of the first part with new elements in the instrumentation, and then to a beefed upp and shuffled repetition of the second part, with an even heavier staccato of the string ensemble and heavier percussion entering. A final trailer like elevation of the harmonies gives the ending.

Hopefully you will enjoy the new piece, and find it appropriate to give the theme for this character of utter importance in the Tolkien universe.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

I'm happy to report that after a longer period of silence, the third movement of the symphonic tales has been rolled out. The focus now has been shifted from the story telling of the Ainulindale to the portrayals of Valar derived from the Valaquenta of The Silmarillion.

The first in the portrayal series is the majestic, dreadful and all surround Lord of the Waters, Ulmo, the lonely divine figure of the mythology of Tolkien. Second in power to Manwe, most hated by Melkor, knowing of all news on Arda through all the waters flowing through and surrounding the landmass of the world.

"ULMO, Heru Rasa, or in English - Lord of the Seas, was second in power
of the Valar only to Manwe. He was one of the nine Aratar, or those of
chief power and reverence. He was a loner, the only one of the Valar to
not have a wife (wife here is not in the common sense, but one who has
similar interests and share deeds). He would never stay in one place for
long, and took to resting anywhere he might be. He seldom came to the
Councils of Mahanaxar, and only when in great need. He preferred to stay
in Arda, not by walking on the land, as his form would fill man or elf
with great dread. All waters were under his government; bays, rivers and
even the waters under the earth. It is through these that he kept in
touch with Arda, and thus knew more of the goings on with the children
of Iluvatar than even Manwe."

The music is somewhat starting as an enervated and sad, musing part which shows the lonesome preference of this Vala, and also incorporates powerful and majestic parts which symbolizes his appearance before the mortal beings of Arda. The major part of the orchestral sections this time goes to the low and middle brass and also the contrabasoon and is accompanied by accentuated choral parts. Also touches some modern elements of compositional work with many less common harmonies and also random-like notes which depicts the watery, hard to glimpse nature of this divine figure. Strives for positive, uplifting images at times with some clearer, major chord resolutions, but also dwelling in strong, fast and agitated parts that outlines the unpredictable nature of the waters and the powers of this all-mighty Vala.